Swindon Town failed to impress as they played out a disappointing 1-1 draw at home with Harrogate Town.

The opening 45 minutes was low on big chances, as both sides struggled to find a consistent rhythm to unlock their opponents.

Anthony O’Connor headed home seven minutes into the second half before Charlie Austin earned Town a late point with his header at the other end.

Town are still waiting for their first back-to-back wins since November but maintain their record of having never been beaten at home by Harrogate.

Gavin Gunning gave a first start since his return to Harry McKirdy as he replaced the hero of Tuesday night, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy. Aaron Drinan, Saidou Khan, and Williams Kokolo also came back into the side to replace Charlie Austin, Paul Glatzel, and Harrison Minturn.

Harrogate began the game with the energy of a side that knew they had to change their fortunes to stay in the play-off hunt. Strong running from Abraham Odoh gave Matty Foulds a good crossing position inside a minute, but his ball was played too deep. Then before the clock had reached two minutes, Matty Daly had a shot from the edge of the box deflected behind for a corner.

The visitors continued to be the more dangerous side even if Swindon had more of the ball. After 14 minutes Dawson Devoy gave the ball away deep and Odoh was able to drive down the left. He crossed low to the feet of Daly, but his contact was very weak and the ball went out for a throw-in.

Swindon finally troubled the Sulphurites for the first time after 15 minutes when Sean McGurk received a pass in the area. He turned and with no back-lift clipped a cross onto the head of Drinan, but he nodded narrowly wide.

As the half drifted towards its mid-point Swindon had taken control of proceedings. The visitors were defending ever deeper and that was making it tough for Town to find that spark in the final third to break their resistance.

Harrogate turned the ball over on the halfway line and Ricky Aguiar made a clever run in behind on the right. He spotted Drinan up with him and threaded him the ball. The striker took a touch and fizzed a shot narrowly wide of the near post.

In the 34th minute, Daly managed to escape in behind on the right side of the penalty area and whip a cross into the middle. A deflection in front of him saw the ball hit Odoh in the midriff and bounce narrowly wide of the upright.

The half was packed with nearly moments for Swindon that were not turning into serious shots on goal. A loose header towards his own goal from Anthony O’Connor saw Drinan race down the left. He tried to find McKirdy with a cross, but O’Connor had recovered and hacked the ball clear.

Aguiar whipped a corner into the near post area for the run of Conor McCarthy. He got free of his marker but couldn’t get his body in the right position and headed wide.

The 22-year-old’s set pieces were causing plenty of bother and shortly after his free-kick was headed out to McGurk. He crossed back into the middle where the ball was headed into the path of Khan, but his shot was blocked by a crowd of bodies.

Harrogate took the lead early in the second half as a free-kick wide on the right was swung in invitingly and Anthony O’Connor stole a march and guided the ball inside the far post.

Swindon retook the initiative and Udoka Godwin-Malife’s run saw the ball deflect back to Paul Glatzel. He curled an effort beyond the dive of the goalkeeper, but a defender got back to clear off the line.

Swindon struggled to find any consistent way of breaking down Harrogate as they dropped in and attempted to defend what they had. The energy that had characterised their victory on Tuesday night was not present as even multiple substitutions struggled to make a difference.

Their attempts were coming in fits and starts as the Sulphurites managed to break the game up. Williams Kokolo made a dart in behind and crashed a cross against the shins of a defender and the ball rolled just wide of the post.

They finally got back on terms five minutes from time as Zac Elbouzedi eventually managed to carve out a crossing opportunity down the right and picked out Charlie Austin, whose towering header crashed into the back of the net.

The result continued the pattern of Swindon struggling for consistency across the entire season. They have only won back-to-back games twice this season and have never been able to string three wins together in a row.

STFC starting XI: Bycroft, Blake-Tracy, Khan, McKirdy, McGurk, Kokolo, Devoy, Godwin-Malife, Drinan, McCarthy, Aguiar.

STFC substitutes: Brann, McEachran, Elbouzedi, Glatzel, Hepburn-Murphy, Brewitt, Austin.

HTFC starting XI: Belshaw, Burrell, Thomson, Cornelius, Odoh, Daly, O’Connor, Muldoon, Dooley, Foulds, Gibson.

HTFC substitutes: Oxley, Abu, Mattock, Falkingham, Sutton, March, Bloxham.

Attendance: 7,687 (73 away).